Throughout its life, BMW took many risks from a visual standpoint. The Isetta 600 four-seat microcar and 507 roadster come to mind for polar opposite reasons, but closer to the present day, the automaker ventured into uncharted waters thanks to American designer Chris Bangle.
The “Bangle butt” E65 7 Series is arguably the most controversial Bimmer from this era, followed closely by the E60 5 Series. Looking back on these cars, they were forward-looking designs that came out during a time when the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, E-Class, Audi A8, and A6 were obviously conservative in terms of exterior design. Chris knew that his styling language would alienate some traditionalists, but the increasing sales figures proved that his risky styling decisions were worth it for both him and the company.
Although I’m not a huge fan of the Bangle-penned cars, his approach to styling is far superior to the buck-toothed G22 4 Series. Overseen by BMW design head Domagoj Dukec and group design boss Adrian van Hooydonk, that car’s front fascia oozes meaningless excess in an in-your-face way that can be described as obnoxious, offensive, and - dare I say it - very shocking.
Why do you need such huge grilles for a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder gasoline motor or a single-turbo sixer? I wish I had a good answer to this question, but Domagoj and Adrian don’t really care about our opinion. What's more, the twin-turbo V8-engined BMW M8 has a smaller and more elegant grille design than the twin-turbo I6-powered BMW M4 for the 2021 model year.
Automotive concepts artist Jon Sibal rendered the M4 with the kidneys of the M8, and guess what? The front-end design is much nicer than the real deal, especially in combination with a sharp front spoiler and classy wheels.
BBS LM forged wheels, to be more precise, which give motorsport vibes rather than the hey-look-at-me nonsense of the M4 Competition’s wheels.
Although I’m not a huge fan of the Bangle-penned cars, his approach to styling is far superior to the buck-toothed G22 4 Series. Overseen by BMW design head Domagoj Dukec and group design boss Adrian van Hooydonk, that car’s front fascia oozes meaningless excess in an in-your-face way that can be described as obnoxious, offensive, and - dare I say it - very shocking.
Why do you need such huge grilles for a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder gasoline motor or a single-turbo sixer? I wish I had a good answer to this question, but Domagoj and Adrian don’t really care about our opinion. What's more, the twin-turbo V8-engined BMW M8 has a smaller and more elegant grille design than the twin-turbo I6-powered BMW M4 for the 2021 model year.
Automotive concepts artist Jon Sibal rendered the M4 with the kidneys of the M8, and guess what? The front-end design is much nicer than the real deal, especially in combination with a sharp front spoiler and classy wheels.
BBS LM forged wheels, to be more precise, which give motorsport vibes rather than the hey-look-at-me nonsense of the M4 Competition’s wheels.